As the holiday season starts, the Irish aviation industry has renewed its shared commitment to tackle disruptive passenger behaviour through the ongoing #NotOnMyFlight campaign. 
Fórsa and IALPA have supported the unruly passenger charter since late last year, becoming a signatory to the Joint declaration on unruly passenger behaviour in airports and on aircraft.

Launching its public awareness campaign last week, as the busy travel period got underway, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) warned that disruptive air passengers will face a ‘zero tolerance’ response as there continues to be a rise in reports of unruly behaviour. So far this year there’s been more than 30 incidents already reported to Dublin Airport Garda station, an increase of 80% compared to the entirety of 2024.

Katie Morgan, Fórsa’s head of the union’s Services and Enterprises division, the divisional home for the union’s aviation branches, explained: “As a trade union, the potential risk to the health and safety of our members is a crucial matter of concern. 

“We’ve seen first-hand the effect that some unruly passenger behaviour has had on our members. In that context we welcome any initiatives taken to help mitigate risks to aviation workers.
“The joint approach of industry professionals closely aligns with the objectives of our union in terms of aviation members’ safety, and it’s a welcome initiative.

“We continue to work with this coalition to protect and improve the experience of aviation workers and passengers,” she said. 

Captain Daniel Langan, IALPA Vice President, said, “Unruly passengers diminish safety both in the cabin and the flight deck by increasing the workload of pilots and crew. Sometimes this results in the pilot having to decide to divert the aircraft and deliver the unruly passenger into police custody. 

Under international law, the sole person to deal with unruly passengers onboard an aircraft is the Captain, a responsibility we take very seriously for the safety of our crew and our passengers. Pilots welcome the #NotOnMyFlight campaign, and the focus on safety in the lead up to the busy travel period ahead.”

The union continues to engage with cabin crew members who’ve been affected by this issue. If you have been affected by unruly passenger behaviour while on duty, please get in touch via cabincrew@forsa.ie.

See also: 

Marked increase in disruptive behaviour at Dublin Airport Thursday 29th MAY, RTÉ News At One: Katie Morgan, Forsa's Head of Services, discusses the increase in incidents of disruptive behaviour reported to Dublin Airport Garda station this year. Listen back here.

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